National Evaluation Center (NEC) for AHRQs Healthcare Extension Service: State-based Solutions to Healthcare Improvement (U19) | RFA HS 24 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HS 24 005

The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking applications under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HS-24-005 to establish a National Evaluation Center (NEC) for its Healthcare Extension Service: State-based Solutions to Healthcare Improvement program. This is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism (U19), which typically means the awardee will carry out the work in close collaboration with AHRQ and other program partners. The NEC is being funded to evaluate how the Healthcare Extension Service operates across participating states and how well it meets its goals of spreading and putting into practice patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) evidence in real-world healthcare settings.

At a high level, the Healthcare Extension Service is designed to speed up dissemination and implementation of PCOR evidence by influencing and improving the practical “plumbing” of healthcare delivery, including policy, payment approaches, and frontline clinical practice. A central emphasis is reducing healthcare disparities, particularly for people covered by Medicaid, those who are uninsured, and other medically underserved populations. The NEC is positioned as the independent, cross-cutting evaluation partner that will generate credible evidence about what models are being used, how they differ, and what is actually working, for whom, and under what conditions.

The NOFO assigns the NEC two major responsibilities. First, the NEC must develop the data infrastructure, measures, and analytic methods needed to assess the range of extension service models implemented by the state cooperative agreement recipients, including how far each model reaches and how effective it is. This implies building a common evaluation framework that can accommodate variation across states while still producing comparable information, such as shared definitions, core metrics, data collection processes, and strategies to assess implementation quality and outcomes. Second, the NEC must carry out a multi-method, rapid-cycle evaluation that includes both formative and summative components. Formative evaluation is meant to provide timely feedback during implementation so the program can adjust and improve as it runs, while summative evaluation focuses on overall results and lessons at key milestones or at the end of a program period. The evaluation scope also explicitly includes the technical assistance and other supports provided by the National Coordinating Center (NCC), meaning the NEC will assess not only what states do, but also how national-level coordination and support contributes to performance and outcomes.

The overarching goal of the NEC evaluation is to produce a detailed, practical understanding of variation and impact across state-based extension services. That includes documenting how extension services differ across cooperative agreement recipients, measuring reach, effectiveness, and equity, and identifying contextual factors linked to success. Contextual factors could include state policy environments, payment models, health system structure, workforce capacity, rural versus urban delivery challenges, baseline disparities, and relationships among community organizations, payers, and providers. The NEC is also expected to systematically document barriers and facilitators to delivering extension services, which can help AHRQ and partners refine implementation strategies, strengthen technical assistance, and improve the likelihood that effective approaches can be sustained and replicated.

Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of domestic U.S. organizations: state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The NOFO also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal agencies. However, foreign organizations (non-domestic entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible.

Key administrative details from the notice include the activity area (Health) and CFDA number 93.226. The original application closing date is listed as 2024-11-25, and the opportunity was created on 2024-09-26. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source fields, which suggests applicants would need to consult the full NOFO text or Grants.gov posting for the most current funding levels, period of performance, and budget requirements. Overall, this opportunity is centered on building a rigorous, practical evaluation function that can keep pace with real-time implementation across states while generating trustworthy evidence about reach, effectiveness, and equity in the national Healthcare Extension Service effort.

• The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Evaluation Center (NEC) for AHRQs Healthcare Extension Service: State-based Solutions to Healthcare Improvement (U19)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA HS 24 005

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